My name is Richard King. I’m a 33 year old geek, climber, metalhead, and digital-rights activist from Sheffield. I’ve been an ORG supporter since 2006 and since then I’ve volunteered variously as a copywriter, recruiter, stall-holder, wiki fettler and editer of the erstwhile newsblog (before it became the ‘zine.)

I’m an active campaigner on our issues locally. I led a campaign against the Digital Economy Bill here; helped to organise a demonstration in support of Paul Chambers during his appeal against his conviction in the so-called Twitter Joke Trial; and I’ve recently taken an interest Richard O’Dwyer’s fight against extradition to the US on copyright infringement charges.

I have experience volunteering with similar organisations. I was on the committee of the Sheffield University computing society, an active member of No2ID and I’m a regular at GIST - a local community of grassroots technology activists and social hackers.

We’re electing three supporters to the board to represent the views of all supporters. Naturally this will be my primary focus if elected, however I want to pay special attention to those of us who live outside London, as although ORG does a great job of getting stalls out to relevant events around the country I think we can do more to engage with supporters and sympathisers nationwide. Encouraged by Nishma’s session at ORGCon I’ve now set up a local group in Sheffield and I think expanding our network in this way will be help us to get more people engaged and active.

The primary role of the board is governance. Maximum campaigning effectiveness per pound donated is a key objective, yet we also want ORG to have a sound, sustainable financial footing so that it can continue its work. The board plays a critical role in managing the budget and if elected I’ll work to secure our funding and resources for the long-term so that Jim and the team can concentrate on fighting our battles.

The field in this election is incredibly strong. I’m confident that ORG will be backed by a great team whatever the result. Having said that, I’m passionate about our issues and I’m motivated to help us succeed, so please vote for me!

Open Rights Group exists to preserve and promote your rights in the digital age. We are funded by thousands of people like you. We are based in London, United Kingdom. Open Rights is a non-profit company limited by Guarantee, registered in England and Wales no. 05581537.